Although Google’s Chrome OS continues to command a small fraction of the world’s PC market, it still attracts a lot of attention from PC makers who hope to improve their sales with the help of non-Windows-based personal computers.

At present Chromebooks – notebooks that run Chrome OS – are offered by Acer, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung Electronics (in addition to small PC makers), but three more major PC makers want to introduce their PCs based on the operating system from Google. Asustek Computer, Dell and Lenovo Group all plan to enter the market of Chromebooks late this year, reports DigiTimes.

Dell and Lenovo reportedly intend to introduce one or two Chromebooks later this year, whereas Asustek Computer is projected “flood the market with many different models starting the fourth quarter of 2014.” Since the competition on the market of Chromebooks will increase in the future, their prices are likely to drop.

It is noteworthy that earlier this year Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo and some other PC makers confirmed plans to release Windows-based notebooks with $199 – $249 price-points in 2014. It is unclear whether the plans still exist and how do Acer and Lenovo plan to avoid competition between their own Chromebooks and inexpensive Windows-based notebooks.

Since all systems based on Google’s Chrome OS platform rely on the company’s online services and therefore depend on Internet connection, many analysts believe that Chromebooks will remain a niche market in the coming years.

Asus, Dell and Lenovo did not comment on the news-story.

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KitGuru Says: It is surprising to see PC makers eyeing the market of ultra-low-cost personal computers again, several years after the market of netbooks collapsed. While ULCPCs in 2014 will be dramatically better than netbooks in 2009, it is obvious that they will not be systems that everyone dreams about. Why do PC makers think that they will be in demand?

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